Machine for applying buttons to aerosol cans



Oct. 29, 1963 c. A. HAUMlLLER 3,108,363

MACHINE FOR APPLYING BUTTONS T0 AEROSOL CANS Filed May 17, 1961 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 F nmu mnml li li FIG-3 INVENTOR. Clifford A. Houmiller FIG.5

MACHINE FOR APPLYING BUTTONS T0 AEROSOL CANS Filed May 17, 1961 Oct. 29, 1963 c. A. HAUMILLER 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Va s,-

FIG.6

INVENTOR. Clifford A. Houmiller fi WW FIG.Y

Atty.

Oct. 29, 1963 c. A. HAUMILLER 3,108,363

MACHINE FOR APPLYING BUTTONS T0 AEROSOL CANS 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed May 17, 1961 JNVENTOR. Clifford A. Houmiller fl wflrf/w AHy.

This raises the punch 17a to a point above the button 13 which is being carried along directly underneath it and allows the raised punch to drop down and rest on the top of such button till it reaches the point directly under the hammer 18. The cans are kept in the proper path by a guide ring 6b which is stationary and whose mounting is also not shown. During this same period of rotation, the hammer 18 is lifted by one of the cam surfaces 17b from Which it will be later dropped on the top of the punch 17a. Thus it will be seen that when a container 7 has reached the point corersponding to that of the left hand container of FIG. 9, one of the buttons 13 will be dropped down inclined surface 120 in alignment with the opening 7a in the top of the raised container, a punch 1711 will be resting on the top of such button 13 at the same time the arm of hammer 18 will ride over the edge of cam surface 17b and the hammer will drop on top of such punch 17a to strike a sufficiently heavy blow to drive the pin on the lower end of such bttton 13 into the opening 7a to cause a tight drive fit of such pin into such opening without operating the release valve of the container. As previously stated the container as it is raised, enters one of the openings 11a so that all elements are properl aligned when the hammer strikes the punch. After the buttons have thus been applied to the cans, they are carried on around the circle until they are again carried away by conveyor belt 6.

Having fully described and ascertained the various features and aspects of my invention, what I consider to be novel and desire to have protected by Letters Patent will be pointed out in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a machine for attaching operating buttons to the valve operating mechanism of aerosol cans, a shaft carrying a series of rotatable discs, means for rotating said shaft to thereby rotate said discs, one of said discs having teeth for picking up aerosol cans from a source of supply, another disc having teeth for picking up the buttons from a source of supply, a third disc having alignment openings for the tops of said cans, a fourth disc carrying a series of vertically movable plungers, a hammer mounted adjacent an assembly point in the rotation of said discs, a sawtooth cam surface carried by said shaft and operative in the rotation thereof to raise and drop said hammer, a pair of cam surfaces rigidly mounted adjacent said discs, one of said surfaces operative to elevate a can into an opening in said alignment disc, the other of said pair of cam surfaces effective to elevate one of said plungers above the aligned can and a button therefor, said sawtooth cam eflfective in the assembly position to drop said hammer on the plunger to force the button ontothe operate mechanism of the valve by means of the force of the blow.

2. A machine for attaching operating buttons to the valve operating mechanism in the top of aerosol cans containing liquid under pressure, comprising a disc for moving cans from an intake to an assembly position, another disc containing a series of alignment holes for centering the cans when in assembly position, a third disc for carrying the buttons from an intake to the assembly position, a fourth disc carrying plungers poised above each alignment opening, a hammer pivoted adjacent the assembly position, said hammer having insufiicient weight to operate the valve of a can when resting thereon but sufficient weight to secure a button to the valve operating mechanism when dropped thereon, a sawtooth cam for intermittently raising and dropping said hammer at said assembly position, and means for rotating said discs and sawtooth cam to bring a can and button into said assembly position with a plunger poised above the button and then drop the hammer to wedge the button on the operate mechanism by striking the plunger with sufiieient force to effect said assembly without operating the valve.

3. A machine such as claimed in claim 2 in which the rotation of said discs causes a can to be raised into an alignment opening in the assembly position while the button is lowered into engagement with the valve operating mechanism of the can, one of the plungers is raised and lowered on top of said lowered button, and the hammer is dropped onto the plunger to wedge the button onto said operate mechanism.

4. In a machine for applying operating buttons to the operating valve of an aerosol can in which liquid under pressure is released by the operation of the valve, a pin in one and an opening in the other of the button and valve for force fitting the tw together, means in the machine for rotating a series of discs and cams b means of which a can and a button are each drawn from a source of supply to an assembly point and at which point there is means for raising the can and lowering the button to alignment and engagement, a hammer, a sawtooth cam rotated by the machine to raise the hammer and drop it on the aligned button at the assembly point, the force of the hammer when dropped on said button being suflicient to force drive the pin into the opening to assemble the button on the can.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,010,617 Gray Dec. 5, 1911 1,272,634 Escobales July 16, 1918 1,738,783 McClathie Dec. 10, 1929 2,416,578 Garden Feb. 25, 1947 2,640,617 Spicer June 2, 1953 2,987,812 Donaldson June 13, 1961 

1. IN A MACHINE FOR ATTACHING OPERATING BUTTONS TO THE VALVE OPERATING MECHANISM OF AEROSOL CANS, A SHAFT CARRYING A SERIES OF ROTATABLE DISCS, MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID SHAFT TO THEREBY ROTATE SAID DISCS, ONE OF SAID DISCS HAVING TEETH FOR PICKING UP AEROSOL CANS FROM A SOURCE OF SUPPLY, ANOTHER DISC HAVING TEETH FOR PICKING UP THE BUTTONS FROM A SOURCE OF SUPPLY, A THIRD DISC HAVING ALIGNMENT OPENINGS FOR THE TOPS OF SAID CANS, A FOURTH DISC CARRYING A SERIES OF VERTICALLY MOVABLE PLUNGERS, A HAMMER MOUNTED ADJACENT AN ASSEMBLY POINT IN THE ROTATION OF SAID DISCS, A SAWTOOTH CAM SURFACE CARRIED BY SAID SHAFT AND OPERATIVE IN THE ROTATION THEREOF TO RAISE AND DROP SAID HAMMER, A PAIR OF CAM SURFACES RIGIDLY MOUNTED ADJACENT SAID DISCS, ONE OF SAID SURFACES OPERATIVE TO ELEVATE A CAN INTO AN OPENING IN SAID ALIGNMENT DISC, THE OTHER OF SAID PAIR OF CAM SURFACES EFFECTIVE TO ELEVATE ON OF SAID PLUNGERS ABOVE THE ALIGNED CAN AND A BUTTON THEREFOR, SAID SAWTOOTH CAM EFFECTIVE IN THE ASSEMBLY POSITION TO DROP SAID HAMMER ON THE PLUNGER TO FORCE THE BUTTON ONTO THE OPERATE MECHANISM OF THE VALVE BY MEANS OF THE FORCE OF THE BLOW. 